The Moda Cutting Table

Cozy Campground Quilt

Hi, I’m Stacey and I blog at The Tilted Quilt. Today, I am sharing a Cozy Campground Quilt with you. I have two young sons and my husband is just dying to begin taking them on camping trips. From the moment I saw the S’more Love line by Eric and Julie Comstock, I knew I had to have it. It will be a perfect family quilt to take with us to have out in front of the campfire while we are making S’mores. I made sure to use a dark background and backing since I know this quilt will get lots of outdoor use!

This is a great pattern if you have not foundation pieced before and you want to dip your toe into this technique. I am going to give away my scraps from this project (including a nice size bundle of 10 leftover fat eights) – just swing by my blog over the next week for a chance to win. Here is a full mock up of the quilt for planning purposes:

All fabrics in this project are from S’more Love.

Fat Eighth Bundle for blocks (you will use 16 for the blocks – there will be extras which can be used for binding or other projects)

**Update** Thanks to the great feedback in the comments regarding the background fabrics – I have changed my suggested yardage from 3/4 yard to 1 yard. I used 3/4 yard of the backgrounds plus the additional fat eighth that came in the bundle when needed. I do tend to cut narrowly, but I should have allowed a teensy bit more wiggle room. I suggest bumping your yardage up to 1 yard for each background. Thanks!!***

I use a lightweight paper called vellum for my foundations, but you can use whatever you prefer. You will need 64 copies of the block pattern (16 blocks x 4 sheets per block). Print at 100% or “actual size” – the pattern block should measure 5 ½ inches on each edge, for a 5” finished size. I have included a 1″ test square so you can make sure you are printing the correct size. To be safe, you should print all 64 of your pages at one time – just in case you accidentally change the page layout between printings (I speak from experience here!).Download the foundation pattern here.

Cutting Instructions:

1. From the brown wood print*, cut

Nine 10 ½ inch squares

six 11 inch squares – cut them down the middle on the diagonal to create 12 setting triangles for row ends

two 10 1/2 inch squares – cut them down the middle on the diagonal to create 4 setting triangles for corners

*If you are using a fabric with a directional print where the orientation of the design matters, keep in mind as you cut that you will be laying these out on the diagonal. You may want to wait to cut these squares until you lay out the quilt below.

2. Choose 16 prints from the fat eighth bundle.

From each print, cut

4 pieces @ 4”x 6”

3. For each block, you will choose a background fabric – from that background:

cut 8 pieces @ 3 ½” x 6 ¼ ” (You will cut a total of 128 pieces this size, using your three different backgrounds)

cut 4 pieces @ 3 ½” x 4 ½” (You will cut a total of 64 pieces this size, using your three different backgrounds)

Sewing Instructions:

Each 10” finished “X” block is made from four-5” foundation pieced blocks. Piece 1 is the block print and Pieces 2-4 are the block background prints.

When sewing on a paper foundation, remember that you will be sewing directly on the printed side of the paper with the fabric on the “un printed” side. Lower your stitch length to 1.6 or 1.8. For some additional tips on paper piecing, check out this tips postI did earlier this year. That post also links to a video tutorial using the Add-A-Quarter ruler for trimming.

To create the block: Choose a piece from your cut fat eighth stack – place piece 1 with the right side facing away from the paper so that it covers the center wedge entirely – making sure that there is at least ¼” excess around all of the lines. You may want to hold it up to a light source to make sure the lines are covered. I like to put in a pin to make sure this piece stays put.

Your second piece of fabric is a background piece – it will be placed with the right side of the fabric facing the right side of the first piece of fabric you pinned. You will be sewing on the line between piece 1 and 2. Make sure the length of the background fabric extends a full ¼” past the edge of the block on both sides and that, when flipped over, it will cover the full corner of the block, including the ¼” seam allowance.

Using an open-toe foot (or your regular piecing foot if you don’t have an open-toe foot) begin sewing the line between 1 and 2. Backstitch a few stitches at the beginning and end to lock in your stitch.

Before you flip over Piece 2, trim the excess away (leaving ¼” seam allowance) by folding back the paper.

Once you flip over Piece 2, your block should look like this:

Next, you will want to trim ahead of your next piece to keep that nice ¼” seam. I really love using an Add-A-Quarter ruler. I will demonstrate how it works. If you don’t have one, continue to trim as you did in the previous step, after you sew the seam.

On the paper side, take a postcard or index card and place it on the line between 1 and 3.

Fold the paper back over the postcard creating a stiff edge.

Place the Add-A-Quarter ruler on the postcard edge.

Trim to a perfect ¼” seam with your rotary cutter.

Fold the paper back up and flip the block over. Now you can line up your next piece directly on the cut fabric, right sides together.

Flip the block over and sew on the line between 1 and 3. Remember to backstitch at the beginning and the end of the line.

Flip the fabric over and press.

Repeat the steps above to trim the line between 1 and 4 with the Add-A-Quarter Ruler.

Add piece 4 along the cut edge of 1, right sides together.

Flip block over and sew along the line between 1 and 4.

Flip the fabric over and press.

This is what your block should look like now.

Flip the block over and trim away excess – cut on the OUTER line (this includes a ¼” seam allowance for the blocks).

Now, you have a trimmed block.

Create 4 smaller blocks to make one larger x block.

Switch over to your ¼” foot and increase your stitch length back to 2.5. Join the bottom two blocks and the top two blocks and then sew the top row and bottom row together for a completed X block.

Make 16 of these blocks choosing assorted prints from your fat eighth bundle and backgrounds from your three background fabric choices. Lay out the blocks on point, alternating a solid square between each block. If you are using a fabric where the orientation of the design matters, keep in mind as you cut that you will be laying these out on the diagonal.Blocks are now on the bias, so be aware of stretching.

A design wall is invaluable for a layout like this – I needed to make sure the wood grain on my brown blocks all went the same way. Now is a good time to cut the wood blocks and setting triangles if you have a directional print that matters for these blocks.

I like to cut these blocks a little generous to make sure there is plenty when it comes time to trim them down.

Here is the corner all trimmed up.

I embroidered our last name to the quilt – aren’t you supposed to label everything you bring with you when you go camping? 😉Make a quilt sandwich with your favorite batting and your backing. The back will need to be pieced since it is larger than the width of standard fabric.Quilt and bind according to your favorite method. I opted for a simple straight line quilting design to mimic the wood grain in the background.58″ x 58″ lap size quilt, perfect for snuggling up in front of the fire on your family camping trip!